36 BIRDS OF KERGUELEN ISLAND. 



entrances. At the bottom is an enlarged cavity, lined with fine root- 

 fibers, twigs, fern^, or leaves of the " Kerguelen tea " {Accena affitiis, Hook. 

 fil.), and quite dry. Here the single egg is to be found, always quite 

 covered with dry powdered earth or the leaves above mentioned. The 

 diameter of the burrows at their entrance is about that of a man's wrist. 

 Limpet and mussel shells were often found near by. Upon our first 

 arrival, two birds, male and female, were usually found in each burrow 

 during the day. After they began to lay, however, but a single one was 

 to be found with the egg, usually, but not always, the female. 



When set free in the day-time, the mode of flight was irregular, as if 

 the light were confusing to the bird. They always alighted in the water 

 after flying a mile or so. The noise of their calling was incessant dur- 

 ing the night, coming quite as often from the burrows as from the air, 

 but became much less frequent after the middle of November, from 

 which I infer that the call is connected with the season of pairing. 



The egg is white, single, and measures 1.90-2.00 by 1.45-1.55 inches. 

 They had probably begun to pair by the time of our arrival (Septem- 

 ber 13), and the first egg was found October 23, although doubtless 

 they begin to lay earlier. A young bird, covered with slate-colored 

 down, was found November 12, and frequently thereafter. 



The traveler who should visit Kerguelen Island only during the day, 

 returning to his ship every night, might easily fail to observe the pres- 

 ence of these birds at all, since, in the neighborhood of their burrows, 

 they are exclusively nocturnal in their habits, being perhaps the very 

 latest to appear after night-fall. They are, however, often seen at sea 

 during the day, many hundreds of miles from land. 



PELBCAIsrOIDES URINATEIX, (Gm.) Lacep. 

 " Diver " andi, " " of the whalers. 



Procellaria urinatrix, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i, 1788, p. 560. 

 Pelecanoides urinatrix, " Lac^ip.", Gray, G. of B. iii, 1849, p. 646. 



CouES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1866, p. 190. 

 Halodroma urinatrix, Illigeu, Prod. 1811, p. 274. 



Bonaparte, Consp. A v. ii, 1856, p. 206. 



SCHLEGEL, M. P.-B. 1863, p. 37. 

 Puffinuria urinatrix, Gould, B. Aust. vii, i)l. 60. 

 Puffinuria garnoti, Lesson, Voy. Coquille, 1826, pi. 46 ; Man. Orn. ii, 1828, ]}. 394 ; Tr. 



Oru. 1831, p. 730. 

 Pelecanoides garnoti. Gray, G. of B. iii, 1849, p. 646, 

 Halodroma garnoti, Schlegel, M. P.-B. 1863, p. 37. 

 Procellaria tridactyla, Forst., Descr. An., ed. Licht. 1844, p. — . 



As very strongly intimated in my paper, satisfactory diagnosis of the three currently- 

 reported species of this genus is wanting. Nor is my faith in their distinctness increased 



